Lebanon (all aspects)

[AdamG]

(Reuters) - Farmers armed with machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars forced government troops to abandon an operation to destroy their illegal cannabis crop in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Monday, a witness said.

No casualties were reported in the exchange of fire but two security force vehicles were hit by bullets, the witness said.

During Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, the fertile Bekaa Valley produced up to 1,000 metric tons (1.1023 * 1000 tons) of cannabis resin annually and 30 to 50 metric tons of opium, used to make heroin.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86M0DA20120723

[davidbfpo]

From an observer of the scene:

The Bekaa confrontation is an annual event. If the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are not busy, they provide support to the Internal Security Force (ISF) in the crop eradication programme. However, if there are “problems” in Lebanon, the farmers take a punt that the LAF will not be able to support the police and plant more – as has happened this year, where they made the judgement that the LAF would be more concerned with the border with Syria. The ISF do not have the heavy weapons and helicopter support needed to successfully carry out the operation.

The ISF is a Gendarmerie type organisation and a Beirut paper has a different account:http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Loc...s-farmers.ashx

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to an observer of the scene:

in the coming days farmers will begin harvesting the illegal cannabis that is estimated to be worth $20 million and provides income for more than 3,000 families in Baalbek-Hermel alone.

Nevertheless:

6,615 dunums – out of 30,000 dunums in the northern Bekaa – were razed

A 20% success rate isn't that bad for such programmes.

Link:http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Loc...#axzz24Ph0ziiy